Elza Terseglav is transfixed by the light of ‘Hawaiian Fisherman’

“When you asked me to pick a favorite, I knew it would definitely be a Hawaiian landscape,” says Shangri La tour coordinator Elza Terseglav. “It’s very easy to be inspired by the nature that surrounds us here in Hawai’i, and I think this is a real masterpiece.”

Terseglav is standing in front of Lionel Walden’s Hawaiian Fisherman, on view through April 29 in the exhibition Body of Work. The massive 6.3-by-4.3-foot canvas depicts a lone fisherman and his net, silhouetted against a golden sky illuminating a green and yellow swirling sea.

Originally from Slovenia, Terseglav has lived in Honolulu since 2011. “My home country and Hawai’i are the two most beautiful places in the world,” she says. “Of course I’m subjective, but look at this painting! How can you argue about that? The light is absolutely amazing. You almost feel like you are watching the ocean, right? I’m not quite sure what time of day this is but the way the light is depicted is spectacular.”